WHAT IS A HYBRID / BRIDGE CAMERA ?

A Hybrid camera is a cross between a normal camera & an SLR camera . Most Hybrids are smaller than SLRs but have the same basic shape - a camera with a decent grip & TTL Electronic viewfinder ( on some Hybrids ) with a TFT screen on the back. Hybrids have features like SLR cameras - fast continuos shooting ( shown as fps - frames per second ) - manual exposure modes like Aperture & Shutter priority, Scene modes - Centre & Multi zone auto focus - Multi segment & Spot metering - Various ISO settings - Single shot & continuous auto focusing . Hybrids do not have interchangeable lenses ( teleconverter lenses can be added though normally by screwing them on to the front of the Hybrids lens - the normal converter lenses available are 0.73x wide angle & 1.5x telephoto - they cost between £70 & £120 ) - they have huge built in optical lenses that does away with the need to have more than one lens . Hybrids have powerful built in Flashes . In effect a Hybrid camera is like an SLR camera but without being able to change the lens . Hybrids also have the ability to take quality video clips with sound - the time of video you can do depends on the size of memory card you use . Some Hybrids are as well made as SLRs . Many use a rechargeable lithium battery but some use AA batteries . Hybrids are fast to turn on & use . They are more easy to use than an SLR camera with easy to understand on screen menus ( for most Hybrids ) . Hybrids have built in lenses that range from 10x optical ( 28-280 ) right up to 20 optical ( 28-560 ) . Some of the new Hybrids like the Canon SX-10 give fabulous quality pictures from its 20x optical zoom but others like the Panasonic FZ-28 give poor image quality over the 10x zoom of its maximum 18x zoom . The lens may be great but it has to match the image sensor very well in order to give superb pictures . We test the cameras - that's only way to know which gives good pictures - & which gives not so good pictures . Hybrids are a great alternative to an SLR .

WHAT IS AN SLR CAMERA ?

An SLR is a single lens reflex - a camera that has a mirror between the lens & the image sensor so you can see what you are taking through the TTL ( through the lens ) viewfinder . SLR cameras also have interchangeable Lenses so that you can get lenses to suit all your photographic needs . Most come with a standard 18-55 lens ( equivalent to 28 to 85 in 35mm terms ) - wide to short telephoto ) . Now it gets confusing - some manufacturers use a different image sensors so to get the correct focal length ( zoom range ) you need to know how many to times the amount shown - Nikon , Canon , Sony , Pentax , are all approximately 1.55x so a 55 - 200 lens is in fact an 85 - 310 . Olympus use a different system called four thirds - Olympus D lenses are 2x so a 14 - 42 would be a 28 - 84 lens . Your old 35mm lenses may fit on to Digital SLRs but the image quality from them may be very poor unless you have pro lens - you need to buy D fit lenses for Digital SLRs . SLR cameras are for the most part very well made . They are larger in size than Hybrids & you must remember that to get an SLR up to the same spec as a Hybrid you will need to get additional lenses ( a long telephoto zoom lens will cost you between £119 & £300 ) . The built in flashes on SLRs are normally very poor so you may also have to buy a Flash Gun to go on the hot shoe of the camera - a decent quality Flash gun costs between £79 & £119 . With older SLRs the screen on the back was used for the on screen menu system & for you to view pictures after taking them - you could not use the screen to take pictures - you had to use the TTL optical viewfinder but in modern SLRs this has changed - most modern SLRs have Live View which means you can see the picture you are taking through the cameras screen like you can on Hybrids or Compact cameras . All SLRs have tons of features including huge shutter speed ranges & fast continuous shooting modes besides various light metering modes . Almost all SLRs have long lasting Lithium rechargeable batteries . SLRs use a larger Image sensor than Hybrid or Compact cameras so in theory they generate far less Noise - in reality though this is not always the case . We have found that the only way to find out if the SLRs Image Sensor does generate a lot of Noise is to test out the SLR - but sometimes the Noise can seem worse because some of the Lenses that come with SLRs are poor quality despite what the manufacturer may say . Older SLRS with the old 6 million pixel image sensor often gave dreadful noise & some of the new breed of 14 million or more pixels SLRs also give bad noise .

WHICH IS THE BEST TO BUY - A HYBRID OR AN SLR ?

That's a very hard question because it depends what you are going to be using the camera for ? . If you want a camera with a big zoom lens to take on holiday or you want to use the camera for general wildlife or sports photography or just take great quality pictures of children then we would most definitely recommend you buy a Hybrid camera because they are more easy to use & have the huge built in zoom lenses you need for taking these types of pictures & they are so much cheaper to buy . They can be used as a point n shoot camera . If you just want a camera with a fairly big zoom lens to take basic snap shots then you may be better buying a compact camera like the Pentax M-60 with its big 5x optical zoom in a very small body which fits in your pocket & can be used more quickly - or the Rollei 8427 with its wide angle lens that makes it ideal for general use or landscapes. If you want a top quality camera to take great pictures then a Hybrid would be for you - but also maybe an SLR but only if you also want to learn about photography because SLRs are not so easy or handy to use than Hybrids & in their point n shoot fully automatic modes they will often not give as good quality pictures than a Hybrid will give . If you do want to get into photography then an SLR maybe better for you but Hybrids will also give you the scope to learn because they do have manual overrides .

If your looking to maybe turn pro or you are a semi pro or a pro photographer then you will need to get an SLR but it will have to be a quality SLR that has a host of features that suit the type of photography you are doing . If you do go down this route then be prepared to spend an awful lot of money - you will need the camera body plus a good quality lens or maybe 2 or more lenses plus a decent flash gun . The whole lot could end up costing you over £2,500 so you need to make sure that you get the right SLR for your needs . Best value - if you are a pro or about to turn pro - to start with are the Canon 5D MKII & Nikon D-300 .

ONE LAST THING TO MENTION …

I test most cameras that come out - including SLRs & Hybrids . On Sunday 9th Sept 2007 I did a full test between the Kodak Z-612 which was a 6 million pixel Hybrid with a top quality 12x optical 36-432 lens & the Canon 400-D SLR which was the top selling entry SLR. I tested the cameras both indoors & outdoors . At the end of the test I printed 5 pictures from each camera to 15x11 inches size . Outdoors there was little difference between the cameras - indoors the Kodak was noticeably better . You can see the full test by clciking on these words ... Kodak Vs Canon ...  it will show you the differences between Hybrids & SLRS with pictures as well

To view the Hybrid & SLR digital cameras we recomend please click on " RECOMENDED DIGI.CAMERAS " to your left .

Please note that the prices listed are as up to date as we can possibly make them but are subject to change without notice . For our very latest price on any Camera please call us on : 01978 264242 Monday to Saturday - 8.30am to 6pm ... or email us at : wrexcam@btopenworld.com .

To view our prices for Hybrid or Compact Digital Cameras please click on the link buttons at the top to your left .

To see details & prices on Flash Guns or Lenses to fit Digital SLRs please click on the link buttons near the top left of this page .

Listed below are very mini test reports on some DSLRs - under that is our prices for DSLRs but please remember that prices do change & the prices shows should be used as a guide only - call us for our latest price on 01978 264242 .

OUR MINI TEST REPORTS ON SOME OF THE DIGITAL SLRs

NIKON D-40 & 18-55 LENS … £ NOT STOCKED BY US

SONY A- 200 & 18-70 LENS … £ NOT STOCKED BY US

CANON 1000-D & 18-55 LENS … £ ASK

OLYMPUS E-420 & 14-42 LENS … £329

PENTAX Km & 18-55 LENS… £399

PENTAX Km & 18-55 & 50-200 LENSES … £489

PENTAX K-200D & 18-55 LENS… £409

PENTAX K-200D & 18-55 & 50-200 LENSES & BATTERY GRIP & OUTFIT BAG … £549

PANASONIC DMC-G1 & 14-45 LENS… £499 APPROX

The new G-1 is not an SLR because it is not built round a mirror box for the viewfinder / shutter . The G-1 does take interchangeable lenses but the cost of an additional lens will be huge . It looks good on paper but we think your better off buying a Hybrid with an all in 1 lens for less money & image quality that will be as good . The G-1 is tooexpensive !

12 million pixels

5 mil pixel per sc cm

SD Memory cards

Rechargeable battery

3 inch TFT screen

Hybrid SLR

CANON 5D MARK II BODY ONLY … APPROX £1,899

Brilliant pro camera that hits the mark in just about every way . It does not have as fast a frame per second as Nikon pro cameras but at 3.8 fps it is still fast . Superbly made . Fantastic image quality . Brilliant camera in every way !

21 million pixels

2.4 mil pixel per sc cm

Compactflash cards

Rechargeable battery

3 inch TFT screen

3.9 fps shooting

30 to 1/8000 th sec